Intellectual property rights protection

US law allows him to impose tariff­s on Chines­e goods or other trade sancti­ons until China change­s its polici­es 0SHARES Share Tweet Email US President Donald Trump. PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON DC: President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States was considering a big “fine” as part of a probe into China’s alleged theft of intellectual property, the clearest indication yet that his administration will take retaliatory trade action against China. In an interview with Reuters, Trump and his economic adviser Gary Cohn said China had forced US companies to transfer their intellectual property to China as a cost of doing business there. The United States has started a trade investigation into the issue, and Cohn said the United States Trade Representative would be making recommendations about it soon. “We have a very big intellectual property potential fine going, which is going to come out soon,” Trump said in … [Read more...] about Trump considers big ‘fine’ over China intellectual property theft

An intellectual property lawyer has warned that EU trade mark and design owners, of which there are many in Cornwall, must act now to ensure that their intellectual property is protected once the UK leaves the EU. The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has issued a notice to holders of EU trade marks, stating that unless there is an agreement to the contrary, after Brexit, EU trade marks and designs will no longer cover the UK. Ben Travers, partner and head of intellectual property and IT at Stephens Scown LLP, said: “This is a stark reminder that without an agreement, holders of EU trade marks will be left unprotected in the UK after Brexit. At the moment, there is no agreement to the contrary. “This means that owners of registered EU trade marks and designs who are worried about protection in the EU should file a UK application as soon as possible or risk their intellectual property being open to exploitation by others.” Ben added: … [Read more...] about Brexit trade mark warning from leading intellectual property lawyer

EU negotiators are demanding Britain brings in new laws to protect special status products such as Champagne, Parmesan and Jean-Claude Juncker’s favourite tipple - French cognac.Leaked documents reveals concern in Brussels that Brexit will threaten the EU’s rules on protecting geographically sensitive food and drink products.It will come to a surprise to British negotiators - who had been told by their EU counterparts that talks on future trade will only start once Theresa May agrees to pay a multi-billion pound divorce bill.The EU’s position paper - seen by the Financial Times - calls for intellectual property rights held by specialist food and drink producers “not to be undermined by the withdrawal of the UK from the EU”.It proposes keeping existing rules in place for European and British products after Brexit.So it would protect Italian Prosecco producers from copy-cat attempts in Britain - but also protect British brands such as Cornish pasties, … [Read more...] about EU negotiators are demanding Britain brings in laws to protect special status products such as Champagne, Parma ham and French cognac

CELEBS are rushing to protect how their characters and images are used in the afterlife after the spate of deceased actors being digitally resurrected.Rogue One featured the return of Grand Moff Tarkin, played by Brit actor Peter Cushing who died 13 years ago.Speculation has mounted that Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in "Star Wars" and died on Tuesday, could also appear in yet-to-be-filmed episodes.Filmmakers are tapping into advances in digital technology to resurrect characters after a performer dies, Reuters reported.The trend has sent Hollywood actors in the here-and-now scrambling to exert control."Celebrities are increasingly involved in making plans to protect their intellectual property rights," Mark Roesler, an attorney and chairman of CMG Worldwide, an agency representing celebrity estates."They understand that their legacy will continue beyond their lifetime."Roesler said at least 25 of his clients are negotiating the use of their or their loved ones' … [Read more...] about Hollywood stars desperate to protect their image from being used in movies AFTER their deaths

SPECSAVERS has applied to trademark the words 'should've' and 'shouldve' in a bid to protect its famous slogan.In a move which rival opticians failed to see coming the high street chain hopes to block others from using the words in their marketing.The company has used the phrase "should've gone to Specsavers" since 2003 and has had its plan to trademark them approved by the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO).It could mean other companies will not be able to use that form of words in their marketing.Rivals now have until 12 October to make objections to the claim, the IPO said.Documents show the company applied for the trademarks on July 18. The body approved the application and there is now a two-month waiting period to allow third parties to object.But the move has surprised some legal experts.Tania Clark, partner and trade mark attorney at intellectual property firm Withers & Rogers, said: "It is surprising the Office has accepted this trademark for a single word, which is a … [Read more...] about High street opticians Specsavers trademarks the word ‘should’ve’ to protect its famous slogan

The mood amongst German businessmen and women at Germany's showpiece trade fair in Hanover in April 2015 was sober. India and its drive to attract foreign investment under the slogan "Make in India" was in the spotlight. There were more questions than answers about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a surge of German investment in India. German business cited India's slow moving bureaucracy, high levels of corruption and taxation, poor protection of intellectual property and a low level of skills throughout the Indian workforce as serious impediments to growth. Moreover, the time required for their investments in India to bear fruit was simply too long for Germany's economic powerhouse, medium sized business. Medium-sized business forms the majority of the 1700 companies currently operating in India. If multinationals like Siemens, SAP or Daimler or Mercedes could wait ten years for returns on their investments, they could not, they said. There were also some ripples in political … [Read more...] about Opinion: A first step in the right direction – no more, no less

US President Donald Trump earlier this week directed his trade office to look into allegations against China of IP and technology theft and its impact on American business. This was followed by the White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon's remarks in an interview published Wednesday by US news site prospect.org that the US would use Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act against Chinese coercion of technology transfers from US corporations doing business in China. "We're at economic war with China," Bannon said. After Trump authorized the inquiry, China said it would take action to defend its interests if the United States damaged trade ties. To grasp what is at stake in these highly emotive accusations and counteraccusations, one needs to understand what intellectual property really is. "Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind: inventions; literary and artistic works; and symbols, names and images used in commerce," according to the World Intellectual Property … [Read more...] about Can Trump succeed in curbing China’s intellectual property ‘theft’?

The German media industry has demanded that lawmakers pass effective measures to protect their intellectual property on the Internet. At the "International Media Dialogue" in Hamburg on Monday, leading publishing houses and the trade unions of the music, advertising and film industry warned about the economically devastating consequences of the "ongoing theft of intellectual property" on the Internet. The slogan of the one-day media congress was: "No Future for Paid Content? Media Industry Under Pressure," and it was all about the Internet and the future of print media. In a statement, the German Producers Alliance, the German Association of Communications Agencies, and the big publishing houses Springer, Bauer, Ganske, Gruner & Jahr, Spiegel and Zeit demanded legal protection in the digital world. "Countless providers are using the work of authors, publishers and broadcasters without paying for it. That permanently threatens the creation of quality works and independent … [Read more...] about Publishers demand protection against Internet piracy

Steganos, Elefile, PGP: If these terms sound cryptic to you, that's the intention. They are computer programs designed to provide internet security and privacy by encrypting documents, e-mails and other data exchanges. Tools such as "Pretty Good Privacy" aren't widely used in Germany, despite the country's skepticism regarding data protection. In fact, very few German Internet users actually take precautions when exchanging data or surfing the web. According to a recent survey of 2,000 people carried out by the think tank Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung (GfK), nearly 70 percent of the German population is worried about personal data and privacy protection. Based on the GfK poll, Germans are most concerned about financial damage caused by data abuse (68 percent), followed by violation of privacy (52 percent) and misuse of personal identity (51 percent). Who is worried? It's not just those dealing with financial transactions, trade secrets and politically sensitive information … [Read more...] about German Angst 2.0: Protecting data online

The first big debate in Germany about the Internet began in 2009. The government in Berlin had plans to block websites in order to fight child pornography on the web. But the draft idea led to an outcry among the web community with warnings that the method was ineffective and, at the same time, the beginning of censorship. The family affairs minister at the time, Ursula von der Leyen, was quickly given the nickname "Censorship Ursula". Critics of the government proposal said the proposal would fail to fight child pornography while establishing a censorship mechanism for surveillance that would threaten the very freedom of the Internet and curtail basic rights. The government plan was shelved, but a year later, parliament set up a commission to discuss the "Internet and digital society" which, so far, has made little progress. Censorship Ursula is no longer the family minister and plans to block websites are off the table. But now, another topic has become the focus of the political … [Read more...] about Protecting intellectual property on the Net